What this means to me
by sKyLaR KnIgHt
Summary: When she visits the leaf village once again, Temari finds that Shikamaru has moved on. Now Naruto is out to make her sad day a happier one! Naru/Tema
1. Chapter 1

A/N: It's been awhile since I've written a Naru/Tema, so here it is Please enjoi and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

-What this means to me-

She watched in silence as the couple grew closer and closer under the dim lamp post. Their eyes were locked and they didn't seem to be aware at all of their surroundings. It was such a heart-gushing romantic scene that she felt like throwing up. She was gone for two years, and this happened?

Nara Shikamaru, the lazy ass genius that she fell for a few months after the chuunin exams was with a girl that wasn't herself. Temari would've loved to blame it all on the female; that she lured the pony tailed chuunin to her with forbidden promises and sweet rewards, but no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't. The lazy Nin was always saying how he wanted an ordinary girl who wasn't too attractive nor unattractive.

The particular girl that he did choose was none other than a civilian named Ayame, the daughter of the owner of Ichiraku ramen. She was sweet and a downright fine business woman, but she was no temptress. Whatever way she got Shikamaru to fall for her was not something the sand kunoichi could find fault in.

The four-pigtailed teen turned abruptly when the couple slowly leaned in towards each other, her heart in her throat. Were she a weaker kunoichi, she would've allowed the unshed tears in her eyes fall. After all, she just discovered that the man she wanted didn't want her in return. _I am not weak._ She clenched her jaw and forced her rubbery legs to move, putting distance between the man who held her heart and the woman who held his.

-Break-

It was late in the afternoon of the next day when she saw her new guide. She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of him, for it was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

"Ohayo Temari-chan!" the blonde greeted, bounding towards her.

_Ohayo? It's afternoon…_

"I will be your guide for the… uh…" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper with a sheepish grin. "…for the duration of your stay here!" He crumbled the parchment up and hastily shoved it into his pants once again. He cleared his throat dramatically. "Please allow me to show you to the ramen stand where you can-!" The hyperactive blonde was cut off all of a sudden by a blow to his head, and was sent flying across the street.

"Baka!" She growled. She could NEVER go there again, not when there was a chance of THEM being there! Besides… "You're a whole day late! I arrived yesterday and have already completed the task that WE were supposed to handle!"

"Oh… Eh heh, heh?" He sat up and scratched the back of his head. "Gomen, gomen."

"Hmph! A lot of good that's going to do me!" She huffed before strutting off.

The fox-like teen quickly jumped to his feet to follow. "So where are we going?"

Temari stilled and half-turned to face him with a frown. "WE'RE going nowhere. I'M going to the training grounds."

"Oh, what a coincidence, so am I!" He exclaimed with a wide grin.

Her left eye twitched. _Cool it Temari… This is just how Naruto is… I think…_ "Well, never mind, I'm going for a hike." She muttered, changing directions towards the forest.

"You know, I'm feeling like one with nature… I think that I should accompany you Temari-chan." The blonde goofball commented, dashing over to walk at her side.

The twitching became more pronounced. "Actually, I'm a bit thirsty, I'm going to get some tea."

"Me too!"

Okay, she let it slide a few times, but enough was enough! "Why the hell are you so intent on following me around Uzumaki? Is there something you need? Something you want to tell me?"

"Actually…" His blue eyes searched hers for a few moments before he randomly nodded. "Huh… I thought so."

"What are you talking about?" She snapped.

"Come!" All of a sudden, his tanned hand clamped down unto her own and began dragging her towards the center of town.

"W-wait! What the hell Naruto?" She tried to wrench herself away; they were heading towards Ichiraku ramen! And though she was strong enough not to cry over it, she wasn't going to just sit there and watch them be happy together! She tried her hardest to pull away, but to no avail. Uzumaki Naruto was STRONG and it was starting to seem like he wouldn't be releasing her anytime soon. "Naruto, I don't want to-." To her surprise, they just marched straight past the ramen stand and kept walking. "Where…Where are we going?" She finally decided to ask.

He glanced back at her and gave her his signature fox-like grin. "Well, you said that you wanted some tea, and as your guide, it's my job to show you where the best tea shop is here in Konoha!"

"…" She allowed herself to be pulled into a small, almost poor looking shop by him and sat her down.

"What would you like to drink?" He asked. "I'll pay, so just tell me!"

"…Cinnamon tea." She responded automatically. She liked the tea, and since they didn't have any in Suna, she'd take advantage of it now.

"Alright, one cinnamon tea, coming up!" He walked over to the counter and began talking to the frail old woman who stood there with a small smile on her face.

Temari sighed and glanced away as he began to order for them and glanced out the window. She flinched, seeing none other than the lazy genius himself across the street at a dango stand.

"Here you go Temari-chan!"

She glanced up to see the young man who brought her there standing next to her with one cup outstretched towards her. "That was quick." she noted.

"Hai, Hanako-baachan has the best tea," He sat down across from her and sipped from his own cup, staring at her from over the rim. "Go ahead, you'll see for yourself why I brought you here."

The dirty blonde studied him suspiciously for a few moments before cautiously bringing her cup to her lips. Brilliant flavors exploded in her mouth, the taste of cinnamon and the herbs added in just made it that much more vibrant. Her eyes widened; this had to be the best tea that's ever been in existence! She eagerly tilted it back and gulped the rest of it down, not even minding the slight burn on her tongue that came with hot tea.

"Heh, heh. Told you that it was good!" Naruto grinned, slurping the rest of his own down. "Hanako-baachan really knows how to blend the flavors well and warm it at the best temperature! And not only is it cheap, but just one glass is enough to fill you for hours!"

_He's right._ Temari realized in surprise. She wasn't in the slightest thirsty despite drinking it so fast. _Amazing… I'll have to remember to come here whenever I return next time._

"Alright, now that that is taken care of!" He jumped to his feet and before she knew it, she was being dragged out of the tea shop.

"Where are we going now?" She asked with her eyebrows pinched down. Who did this baka think he was? Dragging her all around town like this…

"We're going to the training grounds next. I'll take you to the one that I went to when I first became a genin!"

"I don't feel like training anymore baka!" She groaned. All she really wanted to do was go back to her temporary apartment and sleep! She always felt like that after a cup of tea.

"Iie?" He paused and suddenly changed directions towards the forest. "Then we'll go hiking."

"Narutoooo~!" She whined, but it was no use, he was a man on a mission after all.

-Break-

They didn't stop climbing until about an hour later, and the entire time, Temari was complaining, threatening, and demanding. To each snarky remark or death threat, he would simply smirk or just refuse to respond.

The sun was well below the horizon when they entered a small clearing, the sound of water flowing was incredibly loud there.

"What is that sound?" She asked, obviously growing tired of wasting the breath to complain or even threaten.

"Wait just a second longer and you'll see something that isn't common in Suna." He pushed past some low branches and stepped aside to allow her through the small space.

"This had better be good if you dragged me all the way out here…" She climbed through and was immediately rendered speechless. Her very breath left her at such a sight.

There before the two of them was a beautiful waterfall, its water cascading gracefully down the rocks and into a small lake beneath it.

"…Wow Uzumaki… Quite the place you've found yourself here." She played it off as if it wasn't that big of a deal while on the inside, she was staring around herself with stars in her eyes.

"Hai. I found it here a few months ago." He grinned before finally releasing her hand.

For some reason, she found herself missing the teen's warmth…_Iie!_ She shook the thought off. _It's just colder in Konoha, and I'm just not yet used to it!_ She risked a glance over to Naruto, who had a surprisingly blank expression on his face as he stared up at the sky. "So… Do you want to tell me what possessed you to drag me all the way out here?"

"…Not just yet, Temari-chan. Let's give it a few more minutes." He answered without breaking his gaze from the sky.

The emerald eyed sand kunoichi huffed before moving over to a rather large rock and sitting herself down on it. She glanced up to study the blonde, taken by surprise when she found that he was doing the same. "What?" She bit out.

Naruto took a few steps forward. "So… Shikamaru is going out with Ayame-chan now."

The teen flinched. "Hai, I know."

"I know that you've liked him for some time now…"

Her mouth dropped open. "How? I don't make it obvious because then Gaara or even Kankuro would've said something."

He broke eye contact briefly. "You know, I'm not as dumb as everyone seems to think that I am. I see a lot of things but most of the time I just absorb the information instead of acting on it.

"So you knew that Hinata-chan loved you since-."

"Iie. She admired me, but it wasn't love… The thing that she has with your otouto is real love. Just like Ayame-chan and Shikamaru."

"Stop it." She snapped.

"Stop what?"

"Why do you keep bringing up their relationship up if you knew that I've liked him? Are you trying to hurt me? Do you like seeing me in pain?"

"NEVER!" He dashed forward and shoo her arms. "I would never intentionally do that because I-." He cut himself off and quickly withdrew from her.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?" She prodded quietly, staring at the blonde's broad back.

"You know, earlier you asked me why I brought you here…"

"Hai." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of light. Then another. "What is-?" She turned to the source and her breath caught in her throat. Descending from the high treetops nearby were thousands upon thousands of fireflies, their beauty simply captivating. "N-Naru…"

His warm hands clamped down over her eyes when she had moved to turn towards him. "Wait," he breathed, "Not just yet… I want to tell you something that I've wanted to tell you for a long time now… I've only just worked up the courage to tell you because of Shikamaru's new relationship with Ayame-chan."

"…What?"

"I want you to know that I gave up on Sakura-chan a long time ago."

"…" _What is he..? _

"And since then, I've taken a liking to a certain someone from Suna… She might sound familiar; she's incredibly stubborn and independent, she also happens to have four pigtails and the prettiest green eyes that I've ever laid eyes on." He paused, and then continued. "I can understand that it may be too soon for you right now… But just know that I'll wait for you. I'll wait forever if you just tell me that you'll think about it."

"N-Naruto…" Warm flooded her cheeks. A confession… The first one that she's ever received. Sure back in Suna, men were attracted to her, but she was so intimidating that none had actually approached her on it. This feeling… "I can't answer you right now, but…" She bit her lip, feeling nervous for the first time on her life. "We can hang out the next time that I come back to Konoha. Is that enough for now?"

"Hai." She could hear the warmth in his voice before he removed his hand, showing her a bright smile. "It's good enough for me!" He scratched the back of his head with a small blush of his own and glanced off to the side. "Well, it's pretty late now… I'll walk you back to your apartment."

They began to walk off, so to kill the awkward silence she decided to start a small conversation. "So how did you find this place?"

"Well, it wasn't just me… I went bug hunting with Shino and we just sort of stumbled onto it late one night. I thought that you would like it so…"

"It's nice Naruto." She replied with a small smile, clutching her sleeves to herself tighter.

"Are you cold? You can use my jacket."

Before she could protest, the orange and black jacket was draped over her shoulders. "Arigato." She glanced off and unconsciously took an experimental whiff. _At least he smells good. _She thought to herself, a small smile stretching across her lips. _I would never accept someone who doesn't take care of their B.O. _"What sort of cologne do you use Naruto?"

The Kyuubi vessel shot her a curious look. "Cologne? I don't use any."

_Then what is this smell? _She wondered briefly before shaking her head. _Iie. There's no use in asking about it now. We still have next time. _She reached down bashfully and grasped his hand, scoffing when he playfully waggled his eyebrows at her. "My hands are cold is all." She whispered loud enough for him to hear before looking away. She wasn't ready for a relationship just yet, but the taller blonde did say that he would wait for her. _'As long as it takes'. _She thought and squeezed his hands softly. It was enough.

-What this means/End-

A/N: Should I make this a two-shot? I could if you all would like to see it… Review and let me know please .


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This was made just for those people who requested that this be made a two-shot. I made this one extra-long (for me that is )! ^~^ please review, I worked hard on this one!

A special thanx to:

**Syxx: **Dude, I just noticed that not only were you the first to review for this fic, but you were also the first to review for my other Naru/Tema story, Nurse Naruto! I'm so excited to discover this, so whenever I write another Naru/Tema (Whenever that'll be) I'll dedicate it to you! Thanx!  
**d-master: **Thanx for reviewing!

**R.S. Salvatore: **I'm glad that you liked the way I wrote this story .

**Dan: **Thank you for reviewing and I love the fact that you liked it.

**Troutman30:** Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

-What this means to me-

Temari could barely hear the sound of the Hokage speaking to her over her pounding heart. She was usually good at these sorts of things, but the thought of her doing such a mission with Naruto no less… It was embarrassing! Her eyes rolled over to the boy in question, gasping when she saw that he was staring at her with a hungry expression; a hunger that had nothing to do with food.

"Well Temari-san? Do you accept this mission?" Tsunade asked the teen with her pale hands folding across her table. "It shouldn't take too long, this should only take from two to three weeks to complete."

Sabaku no Temari was asked to go on an undercover mission with Naruto, the male that she hasn't seen since he's confessed to her, as newly weds in order to protect their client's daughter and husband as they traveled to the land of plains. They weren't to allow their client's family to know of their occupation, for they both detested shinobi. She was sure that if she was assigned to this mission with someone else, she wouldn't have been bothered much. But this was Naruto. You never knew what he had in store.

"Come on Temari-chan, I know that we can do this!" Naruto cleverly veiled his desire and turned to the big-breasted Hokage, giving her the thumbs up. "She'll take this mission Tsunade-baachan!"

The elder blonde just sighed and rolled her eyes, not even wasting the breath to tell the hyperactive shinobi to not call her that anymore. "Alright, here's your mission scroll, and this mission starts immediately. You are to meet the couple at the edge of the land of tea, posing as both newly wed and their guides. They do not know the area well, so that's where all your map studying comes in handy you two. Good luck."

She dismissed them quickly and Temari couldn't help but feel like a cornered animal once they were out in the empty halls. Naruto turned to her and grinned. "Well, we should get going, ne Temari-chan?" he said before making his way towards the exit.

"Why did you do that?" She asked with a frown. "How do you know that I wanted to go on this mission? Maybe I wanted to come to Konoha to get away from all that you baka!" She slammed her fist into his stomach, ignoring his cry in pain as he hunched over. She was pissed! No one made her do something that she didn't want to! Especially not this guy!

"If I was gone while you were here Temari-chan, you wouldn't have anyone to keep you distracted." He said, climbing to his feet and rubbing at his abused stomach. "Shikamaru and-."

"I've gotten over it already, Naruto." She responded, cutting him off. She glanced over to him and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "I had gotten tired of feeling sorry for something that was obviously not meant to be, so I just kept thinking of the two of them until the idea of him with her no longer hurt." She smirked. "Besides, someone that looks as good as me can't waste their looks pining over someone else's man. That's for the ugly people."

The Kyuubi holder stared at the female for several seconds before grinning widely. "Iie. It would be a shame to do something so wasteful." Light reflected off of his headband, catching her in her eyes.

"Naruto lets go ahead and take our headbands off." She shielded her eyes for a few seconds before reaching back and untying her own.

He blinked in confusion. "Eh? Why?"

"The couple that we're protecting is not supposed to know that we're shinobi. Remember, they don't like them."

"Oh yeah! Heh, heh. I guess that I had already forgotten!" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he untied his own.

_Hm… He looks different when he doesn't have his headband on. _The kunoichi thought, covering her blush with a cough. _Definitely more attractive. It draws more attention to his pretty eyes and—what the hell am I thinking?_ She turned away from him with an irritated scowl, fuming silently. _I don't feel that way of Naruto just yet! I rushed into my feelings with Shikamaru, and I'm not going to rush it with Naruto. _

"Oi, wait up Temari-chan!" She heard him scurry after her with loud, clunking footsteps.

_So loud…_She glanced back to see that his headband was tied around his eyes, and snorted. He was a really silly shinobi…

They had gone over to Naruto's to pick up his packed bag, it was quite big, Temari noted. _Probably his tent. _She mused, backing out of the doorway to allow the blonde out. "Do you think that you have enough?" She asked sarcastically as they made their way into the crowded streets.

"Heh, heh. Of course! I have plenty of things, everything for any situation we may be in later!"

"You do know that the land of tea is several days away, ne? Are you sure that you'll be fine carrying all that crap with us there and then to the land of plains?" She eyed her own pack. It was light; the only bulky thing was her tent. Everything else, like weapons and her fan were sealed into scrolls that were in the top pouch. She was prepared for anything as well.

"I'll be fine Temari-chan; there is no need to worry about me!"

"I sure hope so…" She muttered beneath her breath.

-Break-

"I think that here's good for the night." Temari said, breathing heavily. They had been running non-stop for hours upon hours. Usually, she would have the strength to run right through the night, but she had barely made it to Konoha that afternoon when she was asked by the Hokage to join in on this mission.

"Alright, if you're sure that you want to rest already, then we can." Naruto placed his pack down and stretched, oblivious to the jealous stare that was burning on his back.

_All of that excess energy. _She grunted and threw her backpack off, pulling out her tent and immediately set it up with some help from the leaf Nin. She wasn't hungry, so she ignored the blonde's offer of food and climbed into the small tent, hunkering down to sleep for the remainder of the night.

She had been comfortable for a few hours despite the freezing temperature outside, but when she heard something at the mouth of her tent, she sat up tiredly to check on it. She zipped it open and was surprised to see an almost completely frozen Naruto. He was shivering uncontrollably, his teeth chattering loudly. "Naruto? What's the matter? Why aren't you in your tent?" She allowed him in and quickly stripped his wet shirt and sweater off of him and set him down under her blankets.

"I-I-I d-didn't b-bring one." He bit out, snuggling deeper into her covers.

"Why the hell not?" _And what the hell does he have in his bag?_

"I don't know; w-w-whenever we go out on a-a mission, S-Sakura-chan reminds me to bring o-one, or sometimes I share one w-with one of the g-guys!"

"Baka. You should have just told me." She sighed and climbed under the covers with him. She wasn't bothered with sharing a tent with another male. She was usually the only kunoichi on her team and there was no way that she'd let her otoutos see her feel weak enough that she would need her own tent. She gasped at the feel of Naruto's cold body against her own and shivered. He was incredibly cold! She couldn't understand why it took him so long to come and tell her.

"G-Gomen Temari-chan." He said, pressing himself against her in seek of more warmth. His frost-like hands clutched her hips and dragged her as close as possible, so little space between them that it left little to the imagination.

"Stop saying that, if I was truly bothered by this, your ass would already be twelve feet into the snow. Now close your eyes and go to sleep already!"

"H-Hai."

-Break-

Naruto groaned when he felt his source of warmth move away from him. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was last night, but it was still pretty damn cold! His arms automatically seized the warmth and dragged it back towards him. He buried his face into a certain spot that smelled like lilies and he inhaled deeply, smiling softly as he attempted to return to his slumber.

"N-Naruto!" Something hard and heavy pounded him on his head, immediately waking him from any lingering sleepiness.

He cracked open an eyelid, the blue orb landing on none other than Temari, who currently had her hair down and a scalding blush on her face. Then he looked down at his hands. Whatever he was holding felt soft… He couldn't see what it was that he had latched on to, so he gave an experimental squeeze.

"A-Ah! You damn teme!" The blush on the young woman's face increased one-hundred fold and she lifted what looked to be her fan above her head and slammed it down on his head. "You don't go grabbing onto those unless you want to die!" She snarled.

"Ugh…Gomen Temari-chan…" He grunted. _What did I do? _

"Now get out, I've got to get dressed. And if I even hear you think about peaking, I'll kick your ass so hard that you'll kiss the moon!" She shoved him out of the small tent, throwing his shirt and jacket after him with a frown and a noticeable blush still dusting her cheeks.

"Ugh… I really need to start bringing my own tent to these missions." He groaned.

-Break-

"Ohayo. My name is Takenouchi Taro, and this is my wife Yuiko. I assume that the two of you are our guides?" A man in his mid-twenties with brown hair stepped forward with a kind smile on his face, his hand extended.

"Hai. My name is Uzumaki Temari," She frowned inwardly _Takenouchi? Why does that name sound familiar..?_ "And this is my husband Naruto." She watched as her blonde teammate stepped forward and grasped the other male's hand, squeezing a little too hard if the man's hurt expression was anything to go by. "Naruto-kun… That's quite enough. We don't want you crushing poor Takenouchi-san's hand, now do we?"

"Oh! Eh heh, heh, heh! Gomen Taro-san! I forget my strength sometimes!" He released the civilian's hand and glanced over at his wife. She was a brunette like the man, and her hair was long and curly, something that wasn't too common in the area. "Ohayo Yuiko-san, how are you holding up?"

The young woman grimaced. "I've twisted my ankle a little while ago, and it only seems to be getting worse. Other than that, Naruto-kun, I'm well." She offered him a kind smile and limped over to them.

_'Naruto-kun'? Well isn't she quite the familiar type! _Temari scoffed. "I have some medicine that you could take if you'd like, Takenouchi-san."

The older woman shook her head. "Iie, I like it better this way."

The shinobi lifted their brows. A masochist? "Why?"

She hopped up unto her husband's back with a grin. "Because like this, Taro-kun and I can be close all day!"

Naruto's eyes shined and he turned to his 'wife'. "Oi, Temari-chan, my ankle hurts too. Can I-?"

"Get bent Naruto-KOI." Temari said with a vein on her forehead, slamming her fist into the blonde's face. "The day I let you ride on my back is the day that pigs fly!"

Yuiko lifted a hand to her mouth and giggled, while Taro only shook his head with a small smile. _What a kawaii couple. _They thought in unison.

"Well, the journey isn't going to start itself! Let's get going!" Naruto jumped to his feet and grinned merrily despite the blood running down his forehead and face.

"N-Naruto, is your face alright?" Taro asked as he scurried after the younger couple while holding onto his wife tightly.

"Hai! Nothing but a little physical love to get the blood pumping!" He grinned with a salute.

The older man glanced over to their other guide, who had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring death rays towards her husband. "They are one unusual couple, ne Yuiko-chan?"

The brunette giggled. "Hai. They were absolutely made for each other," her hands tightened ever so slightly, "Just like us Taro-kun."

-Break-

They had been walking for about two hours when they heard her cry out. "A-ano… Can we stop for a while? I think that Taro-kun could use a rest."

The shinobi glanced back with lifted brows. This was nothing for them, they were already walking at a slow pace so why… _Civilians. _They thought, giving each other a knowing look.

Temari forced out a smile and nodded. "Hai. Naruto-kun and I are feeling a bit parched ourselves."

"I don't believe that." Yuiko replied with a wide grin. "I knew it from the moment I saw the two of you…"

_Have we been found out?_

_ How were they able to tell? _Naruto thought with a frown.

"You two must be models!"

"Eh?" They both blinked with blank looks on their faces.

"I knew it!" Yuiko's eyes sparkled as she was lowered by her exhausted husband. She moved out of the way to allow him to sit on a large rock and walked up to them with her hands clasped in front of herself. "Apart from being guide's you are also models! That's the only explanation of your good looks and amazingly beautiful bodies!"

Temari raised a thin brow but said nothing. Naruto, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. To say that his head swelled up to the size of Saturn would be an understatement. His grin became so wide that it looked like it hurt and he approached the sweet woman with tears running down his face.

"How wonderful Yuiko-san! I had thought that nobody noticed that I moisturize everyday to keep the pimples away! And it also leaves my skin feeling as smooth as a baby's bottom." He grasped her hand and guided it up to his face. "Here! You may feel it if you wish!"

Temari turned away from the scene with a scowl on her face and decided to see if Taro needed anything. She handed him a flask of water and watched silently as he greedily sucked in the fluid.

"Wah! You're right Naruto-kun! You do have soft skin!"

"Damn baka…" The sand kunoichi muttered, cracking her knuckles.

"Heh, heh, heh. Don't let it bother you, Temari-san." Taro chuckled, taking another sip. "I can tell that Naruto doesn't have straying eyes. The only one that he cares about is you."

The kunoichi blushed and flicked her bangs out of her face. "Oi, who said that I was bothered by anything?"

"Nobody… I could tell. Take it from me; I've been happily married for seven years. I hope that your marriage turns out to be as happy as my own." He turned away from her with that smile still on his face and laughed at Naruto's antics. He was currently giving his wife the thumbs up with stars sparkling around him as tears spilled down his scarred cheeks.

"Yuiko-san, you are truly a kind and amazing woman!"

"Hai, hai. Lay off it baka." Temari snorted and dragged him away. "She's married you know?"

"Hai, but then again, so am I." he allowed her to drag him off into the woods, a smirk on his face.

-Break-

"So how long do you think that we should let them rest?" Naruto asked, his legs swinging from his perch on a high branch. "Their stamina is different than ours and they tire a whole lot faster than we do."

Temari glanced off to the side and busied herself with brushing dirt off of her sandals. "I'm not really sure myself. I don't have much experience with civilians… Maybe this is why the Hokage said that it may take two to three weeks to complete this mission. The trip from here to the land of plains would easily take us three days if we ran as we usually do, but at this rate, I calculate that we'll arrive there in about ten days if we keep up at this pace."

"TEN DAYS?" He exclaimed. "I like these people Temari-chan, but I don't know if I can handle going so slow for so long… Maybe we can carry them and-."

"Iie. They can't know that we're shinobi, Naruto. How many times do I have to remind you? They hate our type of people and our line of work. This is probably why we were assigned to this. If it weren't for my patience, I'm sure that anyone else would've just agreed to your proposition." She brushed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Gomen, but it seems like we're stuck like this."

"Damn it all!" His fist slammed into the trunk of the tree, shaking it entirely. Wood jumped away from his fist and splinters flew everywhere, leaving a large hole. "This is going to be the most boring mission I've ever been on!"

"Hmph." She snorted. "Drama queen. Maybe if you take the time to stop thinking of your own gain, and a little more about trusting in your Hokage, you won't have time to be bored. Did it ever occur to you that maybe she assigned you to such a long winded mission on purpose? You're so used to going out on difficult, fast-paced missions, not ones like these. Tsunade-sama and Gaara are thinking of forming peace treaties with other nations, and during times of peace, what kind of missions do you think we'll be getting?"

"…" No response.

"They'll be assigning you nothing but these types of missions, and there's nothing else you'll be able to do about it. In order to survive as a shinobi, you must know patience and know that at times, there won't be a need for brute force like you're used to."

"…"

"Do you understand?" She glanced up, a vein appearing on her cheek when she saw drool pooling at the corner of the other blonde's mouth and his eyelids sealed shut. "That teme! Falling asleep during an explanation!" She leapt to her feet and poured chakra into her feet, running up the tree towards her target. "YOU BAKA!"

The sound of a loud thump filled the forest, immediately followed by a loud, completely unmanly scream in pain.

-Break-

"Ano… Can we stop here for the night? It's getting pretty late and I think that Taro-kun has reached his limit."

Naruto twitched and glanced up at the sky. He knew that there was at least two more hours of daylight out and that they could've kept going for a few hours past, but by the look that Temari was sending him, he knew not to voice his complaints.

"Alright!" Temari placed her pack down and began to set up the tent, ordering her 'husband' to go gather some firewood.

"…civilians…all out of shape…" He muttered, angrily snatching up large branches and thick pieces of bark to bring back to camp. He caught himself. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but ever since he's been traveling with the couple, he's been nothing but irritable and edgy. His adrenaline was up, higher than usual, and he didn't really know what was causing it, but Temari was starting to look good—really good. Sure, he thought her attractive before this trip; hell, he thought she was a goddess, but every time that she would glance over at him with that smile… Or when she would brush her hair out of her face, the smell, weather it was natural or some perfume, it would drive him wild. He set the branches down on the ground as he sat on a rotting log, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

Wait for it… DING! He lifted his head and frowned. He didn't understand why it took him so long to realize what was happening. He was HORNY! He should've known earlier; after all, going through puberty while training with the pervy sage had been horrible! He was practically thrown onto women left and right, his inexperience becoming obvious when he always turned the elder man down for a cheap date with a woman he had met while in town doing his 'research'. He was just as inexperienced as he was back then, but now he was nervous. The reason? He actually loved the female that he was lusting after at the moment, making his resistance slowly but surely wear down.

_What am I going to do?_ He thought, beginning to panic. _I'm going to have to share a tent with her tonight! It's going to be colder tonight than it has been for all the other days we've been traveling! Meaning that she's going to snuggle into me and then I'll be tempted to-. _

"Naruto! What's taking you so long?" He heard his woman—he caught himself, his brows furrowing. This was bad, he was already thinking of her as his own, and she hasn't even approached the topic of her last visit in Konoha yet… "Naruto! Get your ass back over here and light the damn fire! It's freezing over here!"

Before he knew what he was doing, his legs were carrying him back towards the camp with the logs and branches in his hands. His sky blue eyes met emerald, and his gut clenched at the smile she gave him.

"You've got leaves all in your hair." She moved around the other couple and was suddenly in front of him, brushing the leaves out of his golden hair. "What were you doing, rolling around on the ground?"

His hands reached up and caught hers, his eyes locked on her lips.

"Naru… what is it?" When Temari looked up, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the look that he was giving her. She opened her mouth to scold him, but when she did, his eyes flicked from her mouth to her own, and suddenly, she was drowning. Drowning in those liquid pools of blue fire. Her mouth had gone dry, as well as her lips, so she quickly licked her bottom lip, gasping when his tanned hands seized either side of her face. Her heart beat in her chest, and she was breathing heavily, seemingly unable to get enough to her lungs. Her eyes drooped and she unconsciously tilted her head to the side, baring her neck.

He was about an inch away when they heard the clearing of one's throat. The shinobi pulled back in shock and glanced off to the side, where the elder couple stood, both of them having blushes on their faces.

"Well, we're just going to turn in for the night you two…" Taro turned away and hastily entered their tent.

"Try not to stay up all night." Yuiko said with a knowing smirk. "After all, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll make it there by nightfall." She winked at the two blushing teens before slowly backing away and entering her tent with her husband.

"S-So Temari-chan…"

The sand kunoichi sighed and grabbed unto his collar, dragging him towards their tent. "Come on Naruto, she's right. Tomorrow should be our last day on the road with the two of them. We should get some rest too."

He nodded in response, though inwardly, he was damning his luck all to hell.

-Break-

_Why is it that we were sent to protect these two people? _Temari wondered, staring at the laughing couple who walked ahead of her with Naruto at their side. _I understand that it could be just an old man's fear for his daughter's safety, but two jounin level shinobi? Something is off… _"So Taro-san, what do you and Yuiko-san do for a living?"

"Oh, she and I are the owners of the Takenouchi farms in the land of plains. I'm surprised that you didn't figure it out by my surname."

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. _That is where I heard of it before! Takenouchi farms! They harvest the most abundant crops in the business! That makes the two of them the richest people on earth!_

"Agh!"

Her head snapped forward and her eyes narrowed when they landed on eight ninja surrounding Naruto. "Naruto!" She moved to dash forward, but was held back by a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Temari-chan! Those are shinobi! They can kill you! Don't go over there!" Yuiko exclaimed with tears lurking in her eyes. She and Taro were hiding behind a massive boulder, both of them seemingly scared.

"I know what they are Yuiko-san." She tugged off the long overcoat that she had been wearing for days, revealing her shinobi gear and outfit. "I too am one of them. But unlike them, I am here to protect you, not rob or murder you." She tossed her pack to the ground and swiftly pulled out the scroll on the very top that had a yellow seal on it. She ripped it open and bit down on her finger, hard enough to draw blood. "Your otou-san hired us not as your guides, but as bodyguards. I promise you, we will protect you to the death!" She dragged her bloody finger along the white parchment and watched as it glow a bright white. Then all of a sudden her enormous metal fan solidified and it fell down into her awaiting hands. She cast one more look at the frightened couple, who was now looking at her with a mixture of awe and fear before dashing off in the direction that she saw Naruto and the enemy Nin run.

-Break-

"Shadow clone jutsu!" The blonde formed a single handsign and all of a sudden, the entire area was filled with hundreds of whole forms that were identical to himself.

One of the shinobi smirked at his attempt to even the battleground. "How old do you think we are, kid? We know how to counter such attacks!" He formed his own handsigns at a blinding speed. "Fire style: Fire run!" Two large streaks of fire shot off, attacking any clone in its range.

Another one stepped forward. "Wind style: Divine wind!" a large tornado moved over the fire and created a huge mess of flames and wind. That attack took out whatever clones remained, leaving Naruto all alone against the eight once again.

He frowned. _These teme's are really amazing! They took out all of my clones in just two attacks!_ _But I'm not going to let that stop me!_ He charged the group, spinning and giving the first opponent a roundhouse kick to the face. He flipped over the second one fluidly and smashed his fist into the next one. He flinched at the feel of a deep cut in his lower stomach area, but drove on. There was no way that he was just going to let these punks mess up all the work he's done these past ten days! He didn't travel at such a slow pace and be tortured by sharing a tent with Temari, having to give her kisses here and there to keep up the charade, to keep himself in check when all he really wanted to do was ravish her completely! These have been the longest ten days of his life, and he would be damned if he was going to let them get away with murdering his new friends!

Another one of them sliced him on his shoulder and ran along the length of his arm. Blood ribboned from the wound and fell unto his clothes, making cobweb-like designs while staining his tanned skin. He didn't care about any of that though. "Prepare to have your asses handed to you!"

He shot forward and clipped two of the enemies in the neck, effectively slicing through skin and muscle, straight to the jugular. They fell to the ground, limp already as he moved on. The two that had used the wind and fire combo were watching from a safe distance while the remaining four were attacking him with a volley of kicks, punches, and weapons. They were easy enough, and he had managed to beat them all with exiting the fight with several deep cuts and nothing more. "Now… For you cowards up there! Its your turn! Come down here!"

The fire wielder and wind user blinked down at him with weird expressions on their faces. One looked beyond amused and the other just looked insulted. "Go down there so that you can what?"

"Kick. Your. Asses!" He leapt up into the air with ease, his chakra infused fist (something that he picked up from Sakura) connecting with the tree that the two men were sitting in; knocking the ancient organism down to its side. Its roots had groaned at the great strain, fighting to keep itself lodged into the ground, but when it fell, they tore out of the ground, spraying dirt and gravel everywhere.

"He is a close ranged fighter." The wind wielder noted. "As long as we keep our distance, we'll be good. I can get him from here." He lifted a hand to take charge of the wind once again, but his comrade lifted his arm.

"Nonsense! Why waste your power when I can easily kill him with one blow?" The man shot forward and pulled out a double edged kunai knife.

"Come at me with everything you've got!" Naruto rushed to meet the man with his own kunai, sparks flying from the force of them meeting. The sound of footsteps registered to his ears and he made the mistake of glancing off to the side to see who it was. "Temari-chan?"

"Are you that confident in your abilities that you feel that you can afford to look away?" The fire user pushed him forward with a high pitched laugh.

-Break-

"That baka…" Temari took her fan off of her back and moved to join Naruto's fight when she suddenly felt a presence behind her. The sand kunoichi was swift, wasting no time to hesitate; she swung her fan in a full circle, sending a man flying.

"Hah! Wind user against wind user. The irony!" The man controlled the wind around him so that he was no longer sailing through the air recklessly and now was merely floating there with a serene look on his face. He didn't seem threatened at her presence at all! His dull onyx eyes roved over her briefly and a smirk fought its way to his lips. "The only difference between your wind and my own is that I don't need an artificial tool such as a fan to stimulate the wind around me. I am Mori! The wind master of the east!"

"Heh. Mori you say?" Temari's fan slammed into the ground as she stared up at the elder man with pure amusement, her arm resting on the upright end. "There is no difference between my wind and your own. Care to see? If what you say is true, then when I blow my wind at you again, you shouldn't be harmed at all, ne?"

The man's arms crossed over his chest. "Of course I won't be harmed. Your wind is just-." The man's eyes widened when all of a sudden, he was thrown back and could feel little tendrils of cuts littering his body. The deepest one being in his neck. He was suddenly lying out on his back, choking on his own blood. Something that felt like a thick, heavy metal bar landed on his stomach, startling his eyes open. They gazed up at the female who had a smirk on her face that spoke volumes of just how satisfied she was.

"I guess 'wind master' isn't a title that suits you. You're more like Mori the master jester because all of that wind master crap had to have been a joke." She watched as he struggled to get up, her smirk growing more pronounced. "And you insulted my fan… An honorable weapon. Here I'll show you just what it can do." She lifted it above her head and ignored his squawking pleas, allowing the heavy metal fan come crashing down on his face. "Hmph. Teme." She spit on the man's corpse and then turned to see how Naruto was faring.

He was holding his own well in the battle considering that he started the fight off with a huge disadvantage. He saw Temari move off to the side through his peripheral vision and a bead of sweat rolled down his chin. _She's already done? I can't let her upstage me like that!_ It was then that he made the worst decision of his life. When the man moved to strike with one side of the double-edged kunai, he caught his hand and shoved it back into the guy across from him. That in itself was alright, but when he failed to move away from the falling corpse… That's where it became a little sticky.

As the man fell, as it has been stated before, our favorite hyperactive blonde Kyuubi vessel failed to move away, and since it was a double-edged kunai…

"AGHH?" His scream tore from his mouth and his eyes widened in disbelief. The great Uzumaki Naruto fell at the hands of a corpse?

Temari's hands flew to her mouth as she saw the blonde go down, having been sliced through from his waist to his thigh. "N-Naruto!" She shot forward and covered his vision.

"T-Temari-chan?" He closed his eyes to the pain, his breathing slowing. "I-Is that you?"

Tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes and she placed his head on her knee. If only she took some basic training on healing jutsu! "Naruto! Hang in there!"

"Temari-chan…" His hand slid from hers and fell down on the grass.

"NARUTO!" She squeezed him to her tightly.

"OUCH!"

"?" She pulled back a little to see the other blonde chuckling lightly and patting her on her shoulder.

"Just kidding, I got you!" He grinned widely and glanced off to the side, somehow missing her death glare. "So where are Yuiko-san and Taro?"

"Hmph." She slammed her fan into his head and began walking off at a brisk pace, a rather large vein on her forehead. _I can't believe that I almost wasted my tears on that teme!_ She fumed.

"Eh? Wait Temari-chan! I'm not joking about my injury, this sucker really does hurt!" He attempted to climb to his feet, only to fall back down at the wave of pain that suddenly accosted him. "Temari-chan! I need your help!"

"You're dead Naruto! There's no point in carrying your corpse with me anywhere!" She exclaimed, disappearing into the canopy.

"TEMARI-CHAN?" He waited a few moments to see if she would really come back for him, and after about half an hour, he concluded that she wouldn't. "Temari-chan…" He whimpered with a pout as he started to drag himself in the direction of where they had come. He was surprised that his wound hadn't yet healed; usually by now the fox's chakra would seep into him and just fix him up. So what was wrong?

_**Foolish child. I'm not going to fix your every mistake…**_ The Kyuubi's voice chimed in. _**This is of your own foolish doing. **_

"Aw man…" He whimpered some more and felt the urge to cry like a baby. "Temari-chan, I'm sorry! Please take me to a hospital!"

-Break-

"Strange… I was almost positive that your Kyuubi would've taken care of this injury." Temari said with a frown. "That's the only reason why I left you there, but when you didn't return for so long, I went back. Good thing I did or you would've bled to death out there."

"Hmph." Naruto's cheeks were puffed out. "I'm really getting no help with this one! I even have a scar!" He turned to his teammate and began to lift his shirt. "You wanna see?"

She was about to open her mouth to say "sure" when she remembered that the wound was from his waist to his thigh. She held out a halting hand with a small blush on her face. "Iie."

"Aw! Come on Temari-chan! Look, look!"

The sand kunoichi kept her face carefully turned away and saw firsthand the reactions of some of the civilians surrounding them. There were a couple of teens their own age across the street whispering to themselves with blushes on their faces while glancing their way every once in a while.

"What ever happened to Yuiko-san and Taro?" He asked, finally allowing his shirt to fall back in place and sitting down once again.

"They thanked us and hoped that you got better. Other than that, they left my presence as soon as possible." She sighed. "Yuiko-san's otou-san wasn't exaggerating when he said that they didn't like shinobi. I think that the only reason that they stuck around was to see if we would actually survive. They took off like bats out of hell once they saw me with you on my back."

"Oh well! At least they made it here safely!" He grinned and climbed back up to his feet. "That was our only mission, and now that it's over with, we can return to the village!"

"Naruto." Her hand caught on his sleeve.

"Wha-?" His voice cut off and changed to a strangled groan as there was a sudden pressure on his lips. He didn't need to be urged any further. He grasped either side of her face and kissed her as if his very life depended on it. It sure as hell felt like it did! He's been waiting for this the entire time that she's returned to the leaf! Something primal within him stirred when she released a little moan. Breathing became heavy and his hands slid down to grasp her waist, pulling her as close as physically possible.

It was only when a little kid yelled "get a room" did he gather his wits. They. Were. In. The. Middle. Of. The. Street!

They pulled away from each other in unison, each possessing a cherry red complexion that would put Hinata to shame. "Err…" Naruto scratched the back of his head and then held out his hand. "Come on Temari-chan… I think that we've stayed here long enough."

She nodded and immediately grasped onto his hand, almost dying of embarrassment. She wasn't sure why it bothered her so much. She didn't know any of these people, nor would she see them again in her life, so why did it feel as weird as it did? To have someone watching her while she was caught in such a position… She flushed once again and allowed herself to be dragged away.

"Oi Temari-chan… Let's take the long way home, okay?"

"…" She studied the blonde who couldn't seem to meet her gaze and despite her better judgment, she felt herself nodding. "Alright."

"…Temari-chan?"

"Hm?"

She glanced over to see the blonde beginning to lift his shirt with a grin on his face. "Want to see my scar?"

Her face flushed and a large vein appeared on her forehead. "PERVERTED TEME!" She screamed before her fan materialized in her hands and smashed him across the head.

"OUCH!" A pause. "Oi, I think I'm going to need more stitches!" He whined, crawling after the woman who he loved. _Damn. _He thought as he watched her storm off. He had a small smirk as he reached up to grasp his tender cranium. _I really must be a masochist._ He quickly jumped back up to his feet and dashed after her. "Temari-chan, I swear, it was just a joke!"

The four-pigtailed woman sighed at his puppy dog expression and felt herself nodding. "Alright…" She grumbled a few choice cuss words under her breath, but nevertheless, allowed him to pull her into a hug.

"I love you Temari-chan." He whispered against her temple.

"…Hai Naruto… Same here." She hid her face in his sleeves, ignoring the choked breath he released. She had been thinking about him non-stop whenever she had returned to Suna all those months ago. Shikamaru's face was eventually replaced with Naruto's and she was actually going to tell the blonde when she returned, but hadn't had the chance. Now was as good a time as ever.

It was silent for a while and then he was groaning.

"What is it?"

"I just forgot what it felt like…" He muttered, abruptly pulling away from her and turning away so that she faced his back.

"What are you talking about?" Her brows pulled down, her hand on his shoulder. She turned him around and when her eyes landed on… 'Little Naruto', she felt her face heat up. "Hm… That is a problem… A big problem…" She glanced away, now she wasn't able to meet his gaze. After all what she was about to say would be very unlike herself. "…If you want… You can show me your scar…"

"Eh?" He studied her for several moments with widened eyes, almost not believing her. He stood there for a good while and before she could even blink, her backpack's contents were littered all over the ground as he dug through it for her tent.

After all, he was Uzumaki Naruto.

You didn't have to tell him twice.

-What this means to me/End-

A/N: I hope that it wasn't too long winded… I had a lot of fun writing this It took me long to type up fast enough to put it out to you before Christmas (have a merry whatever you'd like it to be) so please be darlings and review!


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